


Cliche Love Song

by Cruithne01



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: F/M, Living in the same apartment block AU, Mortal AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 04:58:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6642226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cruithne01/pseuds/Cruithne01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skulduggery and China live in the same apartment block and have never spoken. That obviously changes one day.</p><p>Mortal AU</p><p>Loosely connected series of drabbles that i needed validation for</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm In a World Apart

China Sorrows unlocked the door of her apartment block, brushing her hair out of her face. After her long and stressful day in the office, she was really looking forward to the good book and cup of tea waiting for her inside her apartment. She walked briskly over to her flat door, on the right side of the stairs and began unlocking it. She could picture it now; Tess of the d’Urbervilles sitting on her favourite armchair while a cup of tea simmered away beside her.

  
Her blissful thoughts were interrupted by a bustle behind her, formed by her neighbour. He was a tall, almost horrifyingly thin man dressed impeccably in a tight suit with matching hat. He had piercing cheekbones on his pale skin that contrasted with his dark hair and deep blue eyes. He paid no heed to her as he rushed up the stairs to his own apartment.

  
China knew very little about her upstairs neighbour. Just that he worked with the local police agency as a detective, solving crimes around the city. She herself had occupied the downstairs flat, and remembered the day he had moved into the top floor; alone with all his belongings. He seemed to be pretty well-off for a single man living on his own in the city.

  
China was startled; the man hadn’t looked at her at all; hadn’t even acknowledged her existence. This needed to be rectified. China cleared her throat.

  
The man stopped two stairs up and whirled around on his heel, gazing at her with his blue eyes, tilting his head. He looked rather like a wide-eyed puppy, trying to figure out the new person before him.

  
China smiled politely at him.

  
“Good Morning,” she said.

  
“Morning.”

  
She barely got a reply out of him before he began climbing the stairs again. Again, China was shocked. This man was being rude to her. She couldn’t have that. China cleared her throat again.

  
The man was on the landing now and he spun yet again to her, smiling politely.

  
“I’ve just realised we’ve never spoken,” China began, “After all these years living side by side.”

  
“That’s nice,” the man replied, and yet again was climbing the stairs, rounding the corner and disappearing out of sight. China almost considered leaving the man to his business, considering his atrocious manners, but she was China Sorrows. He would not get away from her.

  
Her heels clacked across the floor and in a few steps she was standing on the stairs; clearing her throat yet again. The man spun around opposite her and leaned over the railing so that his face was mere inches from hers, inspecting her diligently.

  
“Yes?” He asked, initiating the conversation for the first time.

  
From this close up, China could appreciate how nice of a blue his eyes were and just how high his cheekbones reached.

  
“I’m China Sorrows,” China stuck her hand out.

  
The man looked down at it for a moment before sticking his hand through the railings of the stairs and shaking it.

  
“Pleasant. Skulduggery Pleasant,” the man said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Sorrows, but I have a murder to get to so if you will please excuse me.”

  
And Skulduggery disappeared once again; this time China let him leave as she returned to the door of her own flat.

  
Skulduggery Pleasant, she thought, What an odd name. An odd name for an odd person.

  
Things with Skulduggery Pleasant were going to be very interesting.


	2. The Magic Spell You Cast

Skulduggery Pleasant walked into the apartment block with murder on his mind. He was in a rush; desperately needed at the latest crime scene of the city, but during his morning rush, he had forgotten to bring his mobile phone with him (something that was essential for his job). Just as he was rushing up to the second step of the staircase, he heard someone clear their throat.

He whirled around and stopped in his tracks, tilting his head as his breath hitched in his throat. His neighbour. His… Pretty neighbour.

Her luscious black hair shone as it hung loosely around her shoulders, framing her pale round face that held her matching pale blue eyes. She was dressed in a stylish white suite and skirt, with matching handbag and shoes that all complemented the perfection that was her figure. His eyes trailed down her face to her lips, which were painted a dark red, standing out against her pale complexion.

He realised she had said something so he said the first thing that came to his mind in reply.

“Morning,” he said, continuing his ascension of the stairs. He needed to get to work; he couldn’t get distracted by those red lips or raven black hair or-

The throat was cleared again and he turned back to look at the woman before him. He knew she had some sort of big job in the city, leading a corporation, but he didn’t know _exactly_ what she did. They had never spoken, after all. What a shame, after all she had-

“I’ve just realised we’ve never spoken,” the woman said began, “After all these years living side by side.”

“That’s nice,” Skulduggery replied. He thought he had escaped this seemingly unnecessary social contact, and tried to get his mind back on the case. They needed him down on main street where-

The woman had _again_ cleared her throat. Skulduggery couldn’t decide whether that was annoying or not. He turned around from his front door, to see the woman standing just below him, on the other side of the staircase railing. He hurriedly stepped back down to her and stuck his face closer than he had meant to over the railing. Skulduggery could see just how her face curved into her lips-

He blinked. “Yes?”

He _really_ needed to get to work.

“I’m China Sorrows,” the woman held her hand out. Skulduggery stared at it for a second before reaching through the railings and grasping it tightly. It was so small in his own hands.

“Pleasant,” he said, “Skulduggery Pleasant. It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Sorrows, but I have a murder to get to so if you will please excuse me.”

He regretfully turned away from China and headed back to his door, pausing and smiling to himself as he unlocked.

China Sorrows was going to be an interesting woman.


End file.
